The Festival of Lights isn’t the only big festival in India and for Indians around the world. Happy Holi! This is another prominent festival that brings people together! Also known as Holi, this festival comes right after Vasant Panchami and washes away the dryness of the cold Winter with vibrant hues!
This is not like one of those long blogs, like an essay on Holi, that has lines such as “Holi is the festival of colors. Holi is celebrated with colors.” We don’t do that here. Our blog will help you learn all about the different traditional and cultural aspects.
You can easily use our blog to impress your friends, colleagues, and family with interesting facts they might not know! Read until the end to get your hands on impressive Holi images that convey the warmth of your wishes!
Happy Holi: Where Did it Begin?
There are several legends related to the festival, and we’ll tell you all of them in this section! Here’s starting with the most popular one, check it out:
The Legend of Hiranyakashipu and His Son Prahlad
The Festival of Colors has an interesting origin story. Legends say it is the story of the victory of good over evil.
The one in the Bhagwat Purana is one of the most popular legends about the festival. It takes us to the story of Hiranyakashipu and Bhakt Prahlada or Prahladh.
If you have ever been a part of Holi celebrations, you may know there’s a huge bonfire on the preceding day of Holi. That’s known as Holika dahan (burning of Holika) and is another interesting piece of history that forms the celebration that it is today.
Also known as Chhoti Holi, it symbolizes the victory of good over evil. Holika was the sister of Hiranyakashipu, who had the boon of being invulnerable to fire. She attempted to kill her nephew Bhakt Prahlada by placing him on her lap in a bonfire.
However, the boon was negated as she misused it to harm someone. The condition of the boon was she could not misuse it, or it would become ineffective. So, when she sat in the bonfire to kill her nephew, she was burnt to ashes while Prahlad was unharmed.
Why did she try to kill her nephew? Well, her brother, the Demon King’s son Prahlad, was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, whom he hated. The reason for this hatred was the loss of the King’s younger brother, Hiranyaksha, at the hands of Lord Vishnu.
Who won?
So, as the ultimate attack against Vishnu, the King sought revenge by gaining a boon of invulnerability from Brahma. This made him invulnerable to attacks from humans, weapons, and animals at any time of day or night. Seems pretty solid, right?
Not quite. Like every grand scheme of things beyond a power-hungry demon’s comprehension, Vishnu had a trick up his sleeve. The revenge-driven King tried to persecute his son because he was a devotee of Vishnu.
His plan of killing his son using his sister’s boon failed miserably when Vishnu took the form of Narasimha (man-lion avatar of the Lord). Killing him at the threshold (neither indoors nor out) of the King’s palace at twilight (between day and night.)
By putting him on his thigh (neither space nor earth) using his fingernails (neither animate nor inanimate weapon) – disemboweling the demon King alive. This helped Lord Vishnu respect Brahma’s boon while saving his devotee, Prahlad.
Hence, Holika Dahan is celebrated as the victory of good over evil.
The Legend of Radha and Krishna – The OG Couple
Seen as the chief representatives of a couple of goals, Radha and Krishna grew up together in the Braj region of India. This is where our happy Holi is celebrated with great fervor!
Legends have it that a young Krishna would ask his mother if fair-skinned Radha would like him due to his dark skin color.
So, his mother, Yashoda, asked him to approach Radha and ask her to color his face any color she wanted. She did that, and they became a couple. Ever since then, playful face coloring has become a celebration of Radha and Krishna’s union.
Another legend commemorates the festival as the divine love of Krishna and Radha and one ushering in spring.
The Legend of Kama and Rati
Other Hindu traditions, such as Shaktism and Shaivism, link the significance of Holi to Shiva in yoga and deep meditation. Goddess Parvati, wanting to bring Shiva back to the world, sought help from the Hindu God of love – Kamadeva, on Vasant Panchami.
Kamadeva shoots arrows at Shiva, forcing him to open his third eye, burning the God of love to ashes. This upsets Parvati and Kamadevi, or Rati, the wife of Kamadeva. Rati performs her meditative asceticism for forty days.
Shiva understands and forgives Kamadeva out of compassion, restoring him. Thus, this return of the God of love is celebrated on the 40th day after Vasant Panchami as Holi. The Kama legend is largely popular in South India.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his Sikh Empire
In 1837, Ranjit Singh celebrated Holi across northern parts of India and Pakistan with 300 mounds of colors. Sikh court records state that the King would celebrate Holi with others in the Bilawal Gardens.
They would also set up decorative tents here. In addition, the commander-in-chief of the British Indian Army in 1837 joined the celebrations. In Lahore Fort, a mural sponsored by Ranjit Singh shows Krishna playing Holi with Gopis.
After his death, his Sikh sons played Holi with everyone, including lavish festivities. The colonial British officers would celebrate together until they depart from free India.
Lath Maar/ Lathmar Holi
One of the other popular ways of celebrating Holi is through this Barsana-style Holi, which is mainly a celebration in Uttar Pradesh, India. People in Nandgaon and Barsana celebrate Holi uniquely, where women and men come together for a playful celebration.
The women of Barsana chase away the men from Nandgaon and surrounding towns as a re-enactment of the playful mock battle between Radha and Krishna. They were residents of these two respective towns.
This style celebrates equality, love, and togetherness, celebrating the bond between Nandgaon and Barsana. Women playfully beat men with sticks (lath) while they protect themselves with shields.
The celebration also includes playful banter, driving men out of Barsana, and men disguised as women being forced to dance. It also includes splashing colors, folk songs, and dholak.
Don’t worry if you think you are going to miss the festivities. If you are in the States and want to experience the celebration, go to Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Utah County, US. The celebration is like no other and brings a big part of the celebrations back home for those here.
Celebration Timeline: How Does Holi Look?
The Festival of Colors is mainly three days, with some variations across the nation and countries celebrating it. The first day or night before Holi starts with Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi in some areas.
People gather around a lit bonfire to celebrate the victory of good over evil, the removal of old, and the arrival of new. Various rituals are performed, such as singing and dancing around the fire.
Some places also celebrate it by simply walking around the bonfire. Praying for positivity and the arrival of new opportunities and rejoicing saying Happy Holi!
In some parts of the country, day 2 of the festival is celebrated as Chhoti Holi , which includes a small celebration of Holi.
Day 3 is the main event, when everyone sings, dances, and says cheers to a Happy Holi! This is the day when people celebrate Rangwali Holi, which means celebrating with colors.
This includes drenching each other with color-infused water, water-filled balloons, or just dry colors.
This festival is a lot of fun, as people pull pranks on each other—all in the spirit of togetherness. People often say, “Bura Naa Mano Holi Hai!” which means, “Don’t mind (the color application), as it’s Holi!”
Throughout the day, people sing, dance, and drench each other in colors and water to celebrate good times with loved ones. Groups often carry drums and other musical instruments to celebrate, while Kavi Sammelana in the evening marks a downtime.
Traditional Delicacies Part of a Happy Holi
A major part of every Hindu/Indian festival is food. Food brings people together everywhere, especially in India. After each stop of the dancing, fun, and playing with colors, the breaks include the following Holi-special delicacies:
- Gujiya –which is a sweet dumpling with dried fruits
- Malpuas
- Mathri savory
- Thandai (often mixed with marijuana; don’t tell the other person!)
- Sherbets such as Rose, Khus and Kewra
- Jalebi and Rabri
- Rasmalai
- Gulab Jamun
- Kaju Katli or Barfi
- Matar kachori which is a snack with peas stuffings and spices
- Bhang pakora, which has ground cannabis seeds or leaves
- Papri Chaat
- Kanji vada is a beverage made after fermentation with mustard seeds, beetroot, or carrots, and has floating lentil dumplings
These are some of the most famous delicacies that elevate celebrations and bring people together. You may have noticed that there are more sweet dishes than savory ones, as festivals usually depict a time for forgiveness and togetherness.
People come together and forget their differences to rejoice and celebrate together.
Holi Images To Convey Your Wishes!
What’s a better way to wish someone a Happy Holi than send them a pictorial representation? If you are not big on Holi wishes, check out these images and pick one (or all) to send to your loved ones and colleagues!
Why should you take the anxiety of writing something when we’ve covered you?
Holi Hai!
That was all about how Indians and Hindus celebrate this festival that makes everyone rejoice: Happy Holi! This festival is an important event in the Hindu calendar and has several legends related to it. It is also one of those festivals that marks the end of Winter and the arrival of spring and the harvest season.
The article is about the colorful festival, its history, and the legend associated with it. The celebration is one of the most prominent ones that brings many people together—irrespective of religion or caste.
Wishing you and your loved ones a colorful and joyous Holi!
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